Travel Series: Meet Tatum & Matt - Curious Souls, Road Dwellers and Wild-Hearted Dreamers

What relationship advice/ tips do you have for traveling couples? 

Before making any plans we take time to ourselves to come up with our top 3 individual goals (places we want to see or stay, how we want to feel, etc.) Then over a lil bevy we each share what we came up with, see where we overlap and fill in the gaps from there. We find that this process allows us to have a bit of structure so that our baseline will make us both happy but leaves plenty of room for spontaneity on the trip! 

What made you two decide on the name poppie for your camper? What was your favorite experience building it out?

Well, it feels a bit like a child naming their teddy bear but our camper ‘popping up’ was the original inspiration. We are both from California, though, so the double meaning of the California Poppy felt aligned with the new home we had created for ourselves. We had zero experience for building it - we learned every step of the way - including welding the frame. It was extremely challenging, but we met so many incredible people along the way. I think our favorite memory was planning at a local eatery near our old house and using our French fries to imagine how we were going to make our bed system work.

What place has surprised you the most—and why? (The hidden gem that wasn’t even on your radar.)

Slovenia, hands down. We were visiting friends, had no expectations, but we ended up pinching ourselves the entire time we couldn’t believe the beauty. The water was unbelievably blue and there were endless swimming opportunities! Specifically, the Soča valley left us speechless.

What does “feeling alive” look like to you on the road? (Moments that make it all worth it.)

An excerpt from my journal describes this the best - “there are few things as beautiful as driving down a back road - in the passenger seat - your favorite song playing - it’s golden hour and you’re with your favorite people - scream singing” We find ourselves on a lot of backroads, with no service, but unbelievable views around every corner that we would have never imagined existed. When we wake up in the morning, look out the window and feel so small compared to the beauty around us - that’s when we feel the most alive.

“there are few things as beautiful as driving down a back road - in the passenger seat - your favorite song playing - it’s golden hour and you’re with your favorite people - scream singing”

What’s a travel moment that changed the way you see the world—or yourself? (A perspective shift that stuck.)

We were visiting the Sequoias (the largest trees in the world!) reading a lot about how the wind patterns coming from the cities hundreds of miles away traps the air pollution in Kings Canyon. Which in turn is affecting the future of the trees and the ecosystems that exist among them in ways we don’t know of yet. It was such a direct reminder that protecting our public lands does not end when we are in them - our everyday actions (in cities and suburbs!!) do have an impact and imperfect action from everyone is critical. But what really got us thinking was - we essentially live off of our public lands and we have a deep love and therefore a deep care for them. Most people in our circle do too. We believe that people naturally care for and fight hard for what they love. By making the outdoors more accessible, removing any taboos, and increasing education, hopefully we can get people from all walks of life to fall in love with our lands too. We’re imperfect in our action here as well but hope to bring this into our future in a more prominent manner.

What’s one ritual or habit you carry with you wherever you go? (A grounding practice amidst constant motion.)

I love a journal. Right now I am working through ‘Pieces of You’ by Wilde House Paper and loving the return to my childhood self. But I always try to sit in the sun with a cup of coffee in the morning and write my thoughts out - sometimes I scroll Pinterest to get inspiration, others I use prompted journals, others the words just flow out easily.

Matt - I always start the morning, relaxed, with a cup of coffee (or two).

What was your last great read?

In the process of reading Guardian of the Trees by Kinari Webb and loving it! Found it in a little free library and it was the exact source of hope for healing our planet we needed.

What is next for you two — what do you have coming up this year and next?

We are heading to a close friend's wedding in Portugal where we are going to try to work on a farm or two and hike the Rota Vicentina! Then who knows! We are usually operating on a week to week basis. 

Where can we follow you and your adventures?

@wherespoppie on instagram is our lil travel journal where we share our adventures! 

Dream it, build it, live it — you can also pop over and say hi over on our website. 

Please complete the following sentence: 

Travel is… grounding, connecting, expanding the soul. It is critical for fueling motivation to protect our planet, finding joy in our day to day and encouraging empathy for those who are different from us.

Join the journey with Tatum + Matt — Instagram | Website

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This story is part of the umanos Changemakers & Trailblazers Travel series, where people with adventurous lives break down the routines and rituals they have to live their best. Got a story to tell? Let us know! Email us at hey@heyumanos.com.